Tomorrow Never Dies
by xAmizax
Summary: tony and steve hate each other since the moment they met. but truth is, all the hatred is just a facade to cover the true feelings they share for each other, unknown by the other. a stevextony/tonyxsteve ff...
1. The Hatred

**Chapter 1: The Hatred**

okay...my newest crime^^ i'm totally into the avengers right now and i love the pairing stevextony/tonyxsteve...i'll have to decide for my ff which i preferxD

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With a satisfying crunch Steven Rogers fist connected with Tony Starks jaw, the punch sending the genius sprawling to the floor and hitting his head against a work bench. This time Tony had really over done it, provocating the blond until his face had been red from anger, the anger causing him to lose his temper and punch the arrogant man in front of him. His head spinning and his vision slightly blurry, the brown haired leaned against the work bench and wiped the thin trickle of blood that ran down his chin away with his hand. He knew he should stop provocating the tall man further, but he just couldn't resist. "So that's how the first superhero solves disputes when at lack of words. Interesting", Tony teased and watched the blue eyes darken. He knew Steve was furious and he also knew that he should apologize, but the brilliant inventor knew many things and apologizing had never been his strength anyways. "Your arrogance and your self-centered attitude make my blood boil and you can be damn glad that I didn't hit you as hard as you deserve!" Steve spat out and looked down at Tony, his eyes filled with anger and something Tony interpreted as hatred. So Captain America hated him. No problem, many hated him. It was better this way anyways. "You know what, I just can't understand why my father wouldn't shut up over you. His rambling made you seem so fantastic... I just can't comprehend it. A mere experiment was more important to him than his family. Captain America, the star-spangled hero, a guy worth wasting his life looking for him. A defrosted disappointment in my opinion." Tony hadn't shouted or anything, he had said these hurting words very calmly, making them cut Steve even deeper. Howard Stark's son, whom he had been looking forward to meet, was an utter disappointment. Cold and rejecting. The blond was at lack of words to express his disappointment, his anger and his hurt, so he turned on his heels and left the lab. Slamming the door so hard a tiny crack appeared in the safety glass, Steve out and Tony alone again.

He leaned his head against the bench, rubbing his hurting jaw, he closed his eyes and let his tiredness take over. Slightly dozing, his mind raced. Truth was, he didn't hate the blond at all, actually the opposite was the case; he loved the blue-eyed blond hero. His father had indeed mainly talked about the war superhero when he'd been with Tony and the way he had talked made the boy feel the same deep affection to this man who was a lost legend. Captain America had been his first and only true hero and he felt awe towards what the Cap. had done for America in WW2 and how selfless he had been willing to sacrifice himself in order to save his country. He had been damn excited when he'd been informed that they had found Captain America in the ice, frozen but still alive in a state similar to hibernating. Leaving all work to a pissed Pepper Potts, he'd rushed off and was present when the blond had been defrostet. When Fury told him, that the Captain was supposed to join in the Avengers initiative, his insomnia had gotten worse and worse because of his excitement. He got to meet his hero Captain America, got to work with him and spend time with the blond. Unfortunately, their meeting had turned out very differently from how Tony had imagined it; they'd gotten at their throats in a few minutes and since then had remained more or less enemies, stuck in the same team and forced to play nice. Well, teamwork functioned mostly, but the being nice part failed completely. Even while battling nasty, evil enemies, they quarreled over the communication. They really weren't in the relationship they were supposed to be and their first meeting had been a year ago.

Tony sighed, feeling utterly defeated and stressed out- emotionally and physically, for Tony Stark didn't sleep a lot these days, spending whole nights in his lab improving or inventing gadgets for his suit and the team. Sure the rest of the Avengers noticed it, but they knew they shouldn't comment on the large, dark bags under the genius' eyes and if you were as 'sensible' or oblivious as Thor and shouted out something like: "Man of Iron! You do look tired. Have you not slept enough? There are these dark rings under your eyes and you seem like something is troubling you!" Thor had gotten a annoyed look and a snide comment similar to "Oh, do demi-gods now care about the problems of petty humans?" Thor hadn't cared about this remark and had simply laughed and left to attend urgent matters in Asgard- something about Loki being obnoxious again. Tony had left the kitchen, a filled coffee mug in his hand and while he left, the others had secretly thrown worried looks at him- even Captain America had been among the worriers.

**Flashback**

"Sir, Captain Rogers is at the door", JARVIS informed the working man and he simply sighed and called:

"Let him in. Otherwise he's gonna stay there until he starts to root." The lab door opened and the muscular, tall blond walked in. Tony looked up, a "What do you want?!" on his lips, but he simply stared; Steve wore a tight red shirt, ragged jeans and his blond hair was messy and hung into his face. Tony could only describe Steve as damn sexy and he didn't like the way his heart jumped when the blond parted his lips and said: "Look Tony, everybody, even Fury, is worried about you. You don't sleep enough, you barely eat and your concentration during fights has decreased to a level that is not only dangerous to you, but to the whole team. You're an important member of our team and everybody relies on you an-"

"Oh, didn't seem like Fury was actually able to worry about me. I always thought I was like a genius fly, annoying but unable to replace. If Fury's worried Cap., it's not about my health, but about me not working enough. And before I forget: I don't need anybody's pity. I'm a adult and am able to take care of myself", Tony interrupted and Steve muttered:

"Oh really? Doesn't seem like it..." Tony looked coldly at the handsome blond.

"Listen Captain, I'm still able to play in the team, so this 'important member of our team' won't endanger world security- don't waste precious brain cells thinking about it." Tony turned back to the sketches he was working on and pretended to not notice Steve anymore. "You're dismissed Captain!" Tony said annoyed when the tall man hadn't budged after minutes and the piercing blue eyes were starting to make him feel uncomfortably. Steve snorted. "If you carry on like this Tony, you'll harm yourself und the others around you."

"Any other advice?" the dark haired asked sarcastically. Out of the corner of his right eye, he could see the blond shake his head. Returning his dark eyes to the sketch, he heard surprisingly light footsteps walk to the door and the quiet opening and closing door signaled that Captain America was gone. The billionaire felt something warm creep around his heart. Captain America, his childhood hero and often subject of his dreams, actually _worried_ about him. Immediately, Tony chastised himself for his foolish thoughts and feelings. 'Calm down Stark, he's only worried because he's worried about the well-being of the team and not because it's _you_!' He thought and from then on decided to close his heart completely from any foolish feelings towards Steve Rogers. He would ban his futile love to the darkest corner of his heart.

**Flashback end**

Tony woke up with a jolt, banging his head hard on the work bench (it had rested on his chest) and breathing heavily like he had just run a marathon. He shivered. The cold of the lab, especially comfortable in summer, was now ice cold. Shakily, he stood up and stretched, his backbones popping painful and his ass hurting from resting so long in this uncomfortable position. The genius glanced at the clock: 2:00 a.m. He yawned, suddenly feeling very tired. Maybe going up to his room and taking a nap was a good idea. Up in his room, Tony didn't bother to undress, but got into bed with his stained shirt and jeans. If the blanket got dirty, the washing machine would clean it again; no reason to worry. Closing his eyes, Tony's thoughts were crashing onto him like a tsunami. Why had he dreamed of this, why had he felt so sad, why did Steve affect him so much, why wasn't he able to stick to his resolution, had locking his feelings and being nasty to Steve really been such a good idea and why the fuck was his normally so ordered mind a total mess? The jumble of thoughts and doubts gave him a headache. Hands crossed over his arc reactor, he tried to calm himself and order his thoughts. Argh! Why did the damn Captain America have to mix up his life, creating a mess out of his feelings like a tornado? Wasn't meeting Captain America what he'd wished for? More questions. Not good. Biting his lip to stop himself from letting out a frustrated cry, he tried to think of something comforting. Any guesses about what came to his mind? Yeah sure, obvious: a picture of Captain America dressed in uniform, no mask, face dirty and gleaming with a thin layer of sweat, blond strands hanging into it, lips parted. The image of what Tony imagined a god after a fight would look like. Sexy, dangerous and slightly intimidating. How Tony would love to touch that body, kiss these lips, -Oh shit! He was having these prurient, forbidden thoughts again. But they were warming his body, driving out the cold of grief and despair. Just once more, tonight, he would go to sleep with this wonderful image, the comforting warmth and the bright glow of his arc. In a few hours, he would have to be his rejecting, hateful self again. Thinking of Steve Rogers, Tony Stark drifted into a deep sleep.

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hope you enjoyed the first, short chappter^^ the next one will be up soon and it'll be longer^^


	2. Life Is A Battle Field

hey guys^^ here comes the newest chapter of this ff:) i was really surprised when i looked into my mail and saw that actually SEVEN people are currently following this...that just made me say "WOW" and i wanna say thank you3 sry for getting all emotional, but that's just the way i roll;) now enjoy~

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"Steve! What the fuck?! Get the hell off me!" Shouted Tony Stark in angry surprise at the blond man lying on top of him. His ears were still ringing painfully and he couldn't even hear the sound of his ragged breathing. Shit! Where the hell had this explosion come from?! Which son-of-a-bitch had put a bomb in his lab?! He was damn sure gonna beat the shit out of the person he'd discover responsible for this. Then another thought crossed his mind: Steve! Even though he had just shouted at the soldier, he had failed to realize that the Captain had shielded his body with his own. Stupid jerk! "Oi Steve! you hear me?" Tony shouted again. The blond slowly turned his head and light blue eyes looked into dark brown ones. Thank God, the muscular moron was still alive, confused but alive. The blond moved his lips, forming words Tony failed to hear. In fact, the only thing he heard was the obnoxious ringing in his ears. Tony couldn't stop the slight panic spread through his body. He couldn't hear a damn word Steve was saying! Fuck! But wait a minute...wasn't it common for people close to explosions to lose their hearing for a short period of time? Yeah, that sounded like the stupid human body...biology seriously sucked. There were limits in physics and chemistry as well, but he had proven, by discovering a new element, that the borders of the known could still be extended. He truly doubted that by some chance, a new organ in the human body would miraculously be discovered (biology wasn't all about mammals, but you get the point...). Anyways, he was rambling, thinking non-sense and not using his massive brain power to think about his current situation. So he hit and kicked Steve until the tall man rolled off him and next to him. Grunting in pain, the brown haired got onto his elbows and leant against a work bench. His pulse was racing and adrenaline shot through his veins. 'Calm down Stark, you gotta calm down', Tony repeated over and over in his thoughts until his tense muscles started to relax and his heart rate normalized again. How could it come to this explosion in the first place? What events over the last weeks had triggered this? Tony closed his eyes and thought back.

**Two Weeks Earlier**

It was morning. Monday morning. Worst morning of the week. Tony Stark pulled his blanket over his head and tried to ignore the obnoxious beeping of the Avengers alarm. Let the others do the fighting. He had worked all night and honestly didn't feel in shape to do some ass-kicking. Yeah, he would stay in bed and take a break from the fighting. The genius still had a nasty bruise from the fight a few days ago and Clint also simply hadn't appeared to this one. He would follow Hawkeye's example. That Clint had missed out the party because of a family death didn't seem a reason important enough to Tony and was, in his eyes, equal to ditching school because one of the many pet-cats' flees had died- family didn't mean a lot to him. Tony had just closed his eyes again, when the door was pushed open and a very familiar voice shouted: "Tony, get dressed! The alarm's gone off!" The inventor was annoyed. "Steve, get the hell out of my room. I'm trying to sleep!" He could practically see the Captain staring at him in disbelief. The patriot simply was unable to comprehend why somebody could be so very demotivated to defend the beloved country. "This is inacceptable! Get into your suit right now!" The blond commanded and Tony was surprised how cold it sounded. "No! Now get the fuck out of my room!" Steve growled. Suddenly, Tony felt his blanket being pulled off him, exposing his bare skin to the cold of the room. "Get dressed. Now!" Captain America ordered. Knowing that muscle-man wouldn't fuck off and shut up, Tony sat up and looked at Steve, his eyes glaring daggers. Steve didn't budge. "You gonna stand there and watch me change?!" Tony snapped and the blond blushed slightly. "Make it quick!" He said and left the room, slamming the door. The billionaire wanted to simply go on a rampage and take out his anger on the furniture, but instead he ran a hand through his dark messy hair und walked into the bathroom. In the mirror, a foreign, yet familiar face with tired chocolate eyes looked at him. It was gaunt and the eyes had dark bags under them. His lifestyle sucked, but Tony wasn't willing to change it and so he ignored the mirror and splashed cold water into his face.

Impatient knocking on his door made Tony sigh and he quickly pulled a shirt over his bare chest and opened the door. He nearly ran into Captain America, who was standing directly in front of the door and tapped his foot impatiently. "Everybody's waiting for you!" He snapped as Tony simply walked past him, fully ignoring him. Stark waved his hand and called: "Just send me the damn co-ordinates and take off. I'll be there first anyways."

"Okay", Steve answered as Tony already descended the stairs down to his lab. He quickly typed in the code and called:

"JARVIS get my suit ready."

"Immediately Sir", the A.I. answered and while Tony walked towards his lab's starting ramp, the Iron Man suit formed around him, coating his fragile body with protective metal and high-tech. The system running and everything checked in seconds, Iron Man took off with a blast and disappeared into the morning sky over Manhattan.

As expected, Tony arrived first and immediately got a glance at the obscene creatures that were half machine, half human-like and obviously had decided to take a shot at invading the earth on this Monday morning. Bad decision. Very bad decision. Iron Man was seriously pissed. To kick the asses of these punks, he'd been pulled out of bed?! Fuck them! Using his thrusters, Tony darted between the creatures and blasted away quite a few of them before they even noticed him. That's when it started getting ugly. One of the creatures unpacked what seemed like a giant bazooka, tuned with alien-tech and JARVIS immediately classified it as highly dangerous. Taking aim, the creature lifted the weapon and Tony could see it loading up and a red light started to grow brighter and brighter at the front of the bazooka. A laser weapon? Tony had just finished this thought, when a menacing red light ray raced towards him and he barely managed to dodge it. It hit the trees behind him and left a swath of destruction. Jesus, what the hell was this?!

Tony's communication cracked and the familiar voice of Steve said: "Tony, you there already?"

"What do you think? Of course I'm here. I just really hope you brought me something from your short drive in at McDonalds", he snapped.

"Huh?" The blond replied, dumbfounded and unable to understand the inventor's remark.

"Stop bitching around Tony", the cool voice of Natasha Romanov a.k.a. Black Widow interfered before one of the men could pick a quarrel.

"Nice to hear from you", the brown haired commented, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Unfortunately, the party has started without you."

"We'll be there soon Tony. Keep it up", Clint informed and Tony sighed. Drawing his attention back at the aliens, he saw something that made him worry: these things were now unpacking and building something huge. Realizing it was something similar to a portal (shit were these guys quick with building!), Tony decided to dare flying into shooting range and take a closer look at the portal. Flying closer and completely focusing on JARVIS' short, but pretty informative analysis, Iron Man was oblivious to the creature with the bazooka taking aim at him again. The light appeared again and still Tony concentrated on the portal. The creature's finger placed itself over the trigger and was about to pull it.

Suddenly a disk-like something came flying and beheaded the armed alien. Blue blood sprayed out of the opening in the neck and the head tumbled to the ground, cables hanging out of it and all three eyes wide open, staring into nothing. The disk-like weapon took a turn and flew back to its owner, where it became obvious it was a shield. A shield with two red and one white circle between them and in the center a white star on blue ground on it. The legendary shield of the first avenger Captain America. "One down", the Cap. commented dryly. Tony, now finally again aware of what happened around him, couldn't help but smile at the scene: Captain America stood at the front and behind him came the Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow. The Avengers assembled, ready to seriously kick ass. "Tss, about time you guys arrived. We have some serious shit going on. You guys see that high-tech ring? It's a portal. I don't know where it leads to and I don't want to know. We need to blow it up before it's finished!" Tony updated his comrades. They nodded and the Hulk roared out loud, getting everyone's attention. The creatures didn't mess long and attacked immediately. "God, has he ever heard of an ambush?" Steve muttered and Tony grinned. The Avengers set off into action, Thor happily frying the creatures, Clint shooting all kinds of arrows, Natasha got all flexible and out smarted her attackers simply through intelligence, speed and awesome moves. Where Natasha was all elegance, the Hulk was a big green mass of brute power and aggression. He crushed, mushed and threw the aliens around and soon was rather blue and sticky from all the blood. Captain America was throwing his shield around, mowing down his enemies, or gracefully passing out bone-breaking kicks and punches. Tony too did his jobs, killing many with his energy beams and soon attacking the portal itself. Hitting the portal once straight on gave the genius new courage and this made him slightly careless and so it came that a shot hit him square on the chest, catapulting him through a number of trees. He finally came to a halt against a large stone, his chest plate black and nearly completely destroyed. His chest hurt like a bitch and he could smell his burnt flesh and JARVIS' crackling voice informed him about the suits statuses before the computer shut down. The throbbing pain became dominant and soon the proud man found himself screaming in agony. Unable to handle the pain of his smashed and burnt chest anymore, Tony passed out into a comforting, numb darkness.

Darkness, pitch black, comforting and yet threatening surrounded Tony. Darkness, numbing his pain, stopping him from being painfully aware of his defeat. A defeat due carelessness. Something Steve had warned him of. Steve, the man out of time who had again proven to be a true hero. A living legend living up to the legend. A hero like America needed one to be; strong, handsome, patriotic and a role model, someone the people could look up. Someone even Tony Stark, the son and successor of Howard Stark, genius, inventor, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist looked up to and loved. It made his heart ache. Out of his cotton-like darkness, Tony suddenly heard a distant voice calling. A velvet, warm and worried voice. A voice that made his heart race. Steve's voice. Eager to look into these baby blue eyes, possibly filled with worry, Tony started to fight the darkness. Slowly but steadily approaching the surface of the black see he was in, he began to see blurry shapes again. Finally breaking through the surface, he gasped hungrily for air, drawing it in in big gulps, making his hurting lungs work again. "Bruce, Tony's conscious again!" A voice shouted that could only belong to a certain blond. "I see. Calm down Captain, if you're all hysteric you're no help to him", Tony's science-bro Bruce Banner said and skilled hands continued to investigate the extent of the damage the billionaire had suffered. The brown haired blinked and tried to clear and sharpen his vision. "Bruce! He's blinking! Look Tony's awake now!" Steve called totally out of character and Tony had to laugh, which turned out as a pained gurgle. "Tony, how are you feeling?" Banner asked professionally. Tony rolled his eyes and squinted at Banner. "What the fuck is that for a goddamn question?!" He croaked and made Banner grin.

"So you can't be feeling that badly…"

"Bruce, I feel like a fucking wrecking ball hit me without armor in the damn chest and then a train overran me, I'm about to puke (a feeling I'd imagine also occurring on a Justin Bieber concert), but overall you could say I'm fine", Tony stated and one could imagine him holding up a sign saying "This is fucking SARCASM". Bruce and the others except Steve chuckled. Worried blue eyes scanned Tony's battered body until chocolate eyes found his gaze. "Steve, I just broke a few ribs and have a bit of a BBQ on my chest, but you don't have to worry", Tony croaked in what was meant to be a soothing voice. The blond smiled weakly. "Yeah sure you idiot…" he commented and then his face lit up. "By the way: the portal is completely in ruins."

"Indeed! The green angry one and I personally destroyed the wicked thing!" Thor roared.

"Good work Meanswing. You and Banner can pick up your cookies back at home. The ones in the cupboard aren't that old I guess", Tony remarked. Thor's roaring laughter filled the clearing that once had been a perfectly healthy and green forest. "That would be delightful Man of Iron!" Thor responded in a seldom surge of humor. Everybody, including Tony who rather choked, laughed. Suddenly, Banner was all serious again. "We have to get Tony back to the jet and to the hospital- he needs to be treated urgently", he said and the added, "Captain, would it be possible for you to carry Stark?" The blond nodded eagerly and Tony had to hide a grin. Very carefully, Steve wrapped his arms around Iron Man and with the strength of Captain America, lifted the man up like he was a feather. Despite all the gentleness, Tony still groaned and his face distorted into a mask of pain. "Keep it up Tony…" Steve mumbled and Tony managed to nod. Iron Man carried bridal style by Captain America, the Avengers left the battle field and made their way to the jet. Soon, they were all seated inside and the jet took off with a shear wave with direction S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Unseen and unheard, a creature with greenish skin, bright yellow eyes and grey dreadlocks emerged from the charred tree stumps. Something, that had escaped out of the portal before it had been destroyed. Something ancient and evil, seeking for power and revenge. Something, that would prove to be a great enemy for the Avengers.

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okay^^ that's it for chapter two. i finished this chapter pretty quickly and i'll try to update as quickly as possible, but i can't promise a update every few days... and guys please review to tell me what you liked/what i could do better so i can make this stony ff more enjoyable;)


	3. This Shitty Day When You Die

**Chapter 3: This Shitty Day When You Die**

okay guys, here's the new chap^^ i know i took ages and i'm really sorry, but school is really stressful and i have a lot going on out of school and i can't go without some sleep^^ so instead of apoligizing too much, just enjoy this xtra long chapter^^ (3.077 words after all!).

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The first feeling Tony noticed as he woke up was a piercing pain all over his chest. 'Shit! My arc!' Tony thought and was immediately wide awake. He threw the covers away and looked down onto his chest; it was covered thickly in white bandages that reached below his rib cage. Tony was about to panic. He started clawing at the gauze when large hands layed around his wrists. Instinctively Tony wanted to pull away without even looking up, but a quiet voice made him stop. "Tony, calm down. Everything's fine." The inventor's head jerked up and he looked into a handsome face with blond strands hanging into light blue eyes. "Steve...my arc reactor..." Tony stammered.

"Not broken", the blond answered and smiled. Sheepishly Tony smiled back and then realized what the hell he was doing right now; he was bonding with Captain America and his cold façade had begun to crack. "Please let go of me", he asked politely. Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the sudden distance in Tony's voice. "Only if you stop wanting to tear off your bandages- you were burned really badly." Tony rolled his eyes and Steve reluctantly let go the of the slim wrists. Scratching his head, Tony considered what he should do next. He didn't want to stay here...he had always disliked hospitals. So he considered the pros and cons. Pro: painkillers. Con: annoying hospital staff, no lab, less freedom- less comfort. Conclusion: he would leave and go back to the tower- he had painkillers enough in stock. He was rich enough and didn't lack authority and influence, so he set his mind and started to pull out the needles and tubes that attached him to the drip. Steve, who had been looking out the window and admired the New York skyline, only now noticed the genius' cramming and rummaging. Seeing that the dark haired man was about to do something idiotic, he again reached out and took hold of the wrists once again. An annoyed sigh escaped Tony's mouth. "Oi, Captain, would you be so kind to let go. I'm planning to leave."

"You're not going anywhere until the doctor gave his ok."

"I've wasted enough time vegetating in this fucking hospital."

"You were only unconscious two days."

"Bad enough! I want to leave and I WILL leave!" Tony said with such authority that Steve was baffled.

"It's reckless! You've been burned LIFE-THREATENINGLY by an unknown laser weapon. You're senselessly putting your life on the line!" Steve shouted. Tony's eyes darkened with anger and took on a cruel look. "Captain Rogers, I am NOT a vegetable and I KNOW perfectly well what MY body can endure and if I think it's ok for me to leave, I WILL!" He spoke with icy voice and it sent shivers down Captain America's back. "Now let go of my wrists for fucking Christ's sake!" Deciding it was hopeless to talk to the angered billionaire, the blond let go of Tony's wrists, stood up and left the room.

Wheezing, Tony sat up and clutched his chest. It hurt like hell. He felt like his chest was on fire- which it more or less had been. Clenching his teeth together, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up. Picking up the crutches which had stood against the wall, he hobbled out the door. Following Murphy's Law, a nurse came down the corridor and ripped open her eyes at the sight of Tony Stark hobbling the down the corridor on crutches in a sexy light green hospital gown. "Mr. Stark, could you please go back to your room"' she more or less ordered in a voice that hurt his ears. Ignoring her, he hobbled past her while her voice rise by several octaves until it became a deafening screech and Tony had enough of it. He stopped, turned his head and yelled: "Could you shut the fuck up!" That shut her up, but instead of letting him be, she got out a pink phone.

"Dr. Barfbag, patient Stark is attempting to escape." Then she got out a gun and held it about Tony's chest height.

"What the?!" Tony gasped and got a winning grin from the nurse. "You even a damn nurse?"

"Yes, I am. Sorry for this drastic treatment, but the Doc has plans for you." She said and received a WTF-look. The inventor was about to throw a few insults at her, when a guy dressed in a green lab coat came rushing down the corridor. Suddenly, Tony had to laugh. Bad idea. His chest protested in pain and a pained croak left his mouth. Regaining his composure, Tony straightened up and something very stupid escaped his mouth. "You really are Dr. Barfbag..." The Doc gave him a scowl and then was all business. "Mr. Stark, due to your wound having been fatal and your utter importance for S.H.I.E.L.D. you have been subject to an experiment." Tony's eyebrows shot up.

"Excuse me, did you just say "experiment"?"

"Yes indeed."

"Why the hell was I "subject to an experiment"?! Why did nobody ask me for permission?! And why the hell was my wound "fatal" if I'm still alive?!" Tony shouted. Dr. Barfbag, by the way a man with Harry Potter- glasses, bald and with slightly greenish skin, rearranged his glasses and gestured to an office room. "Would you mind to receive all explanations inside?" Tony did mind, but he wanted explanations, quickly, and so he followed the man into the office and took a seat in front of the large desk. Dr. Barfbag took a seat behind the desk and placed a file which said "Top Secret" on it in front of him. Tony glanced at the grey file. "Mr. Stark, as you probably can recall, you were hit by an alien laser weapon on the 25th January."

"I don't recall which date it was, but if you say so..." Tony rudely interrupted.

"Captain Rogers and the other members of the Avengers Initiative delivered you to headquarters and you were immediately transferred to the emergency station. At the time you reached the operating room, you were clinically dead." Tony's eyes bulged at this point, "After a very short call with Director Fury, it was decided that we couldn't lose you. The only solution: an apparatus that we had found after the large attack lead by Loki. We researched and studied it and came to the conclusion that it was meant for medical purposes. The test results were astonishing; mortally wounded people could be completely healed over the period of a week." The doctor paused and took a deep breath. "We had never tried reanimating a corpse-"

"Thanks for referring to me as a corpse..." Tony muttered, but was ignored.

"- but we guessed it was worth a try. At first it didn't seem to work, but then your heart started beating again and slowly bad gradually your wound has begun to heal over the last two days." Tony was stricken and totally dumbfounded. He had been DEAD! He had been REANIMATED!

"Does that make me a zombie?" He asked and the doctor had to grin.

"No. You are a live human and you were only dead approximately five minutes."

"Well that definitely makes me feel better..."

"You should be glad Mr. Stark. Alien technology saved your life."

"Doctor, I am. But don't you think it's normal for a person, even a genius like me, to be mind-blown after being told you have been dead? And thinking of sick alien-tech giving me my life back doesn't make me feel better." The bald man smiled.

"I understand." Tony shakily ran his hand through his brown hair and then asked:

"Am I allowed to go home?"

"Unfortunately not. But do not worry, you will only be here as long as the wound isn't completely healed. We expect this to be in about four days. Then you are allowed to go home." Tony sighed resentfully and got up.

"Ermm...I guess I owe you a thank you doctor", he mumbled and then hobbled back to his room. The nurse followed him like a stalker and he glowered at her as she replaced the needles and tubes. Without giving him another look, she left the room and closed the door. Tony was alone- again.

Tony stepped out of the elevator and into the living room in the Avengers Tower. The week he'd spent in hospital was finally over and he'd been allowed to go home- chest healed completely. Immediately when he walked around the corner, he saw the other Avengers stand in the kitchen how they thought "casual" might look in a stress situation with a guilty conscience. Tony Stark looked around and raised one eyebrow. Bruce pretended to be brooding over a file, Clint was in a discussion with Natasha about assassin stuff, Thor was staring at the TV, admiring the profundity of "The Simpsons", and Steve was leaning uncomfortably against the kitchen counter reading the newspaper. "Captain, you're holding the newspaper the wrong way round", Tony informed the instantly blushing blond. He tried to turn the paper around, in which's course the paper ripped in half and blued eyes looked into inquiring brown ones. Quickly, Steve averted his eyes and Tony raised his other eyebrow. He then looked around the room: everybody glanced away. "Guys, I'm not a zombie. Dr. Barfbag told me I was definitely alive, so stop treating me like a fucking freak!" The genius exploded and then stomped out the room. Rushing to his lab, he opened the door with such force the handle left a dent in the wall and it bounced back and slammed shut. "JARVIS, lock the door and let nobody in", he ordered and the A.I. did as it was told. He was furious; the others treated him like a freak and if he disliked one thing and that was people who pretend. They had pretended nothing had happened, like he hadn't been fried and then died. Like he hadn't been brought back to life by some fucking alien-tech. And yet they made him feel something was wrong. He had seen their curious glances and wouldn't have minded to talk, cause he himself needed to do some thinking about the past. People say that people, who die, have something like an experience where they talk to some godly entity. It might sound like he going mad, but he'd actually had such an encounter. Except that it wasn't some brutally hot angel, God or even the Devil, but some creature that looked like a crossover between an alien and Bob Marley (he liked Bob Marley, but the comparison did seem fit). The creature had had fucking greenish skin, bright yellow eyes and grey dreadlocks. It looked like something out of a horror movie, a nightmare come true. Screw Slenderman, he was a pussy compared to this thing. Even worse, the thing had talked to him. Called his name, called him the chosen one, the one who would return from death unharmed, a person with the power to surprise with a genius yet unheard of. Called him the "Destroyer of Worlds". Tony shivered. What the hell had this creature meant? He a destroyer? The only thing Tony destroyed were nefarious aliens and a few buildings in the course of killing them. He was a genius, no doubt, and he was a billionaire with lots of resources…and he did have technology that was way beyond his time. But he couldn't and he wouldn't destroy the world! Fuck that damn, motherfucking alien! With a sudden surge of immense anger, he picked up a wheel cap he'd been working on and tossed it with such force against the window that the safety glass cracked. The cap tumbled to the ground lay there spinning while Tony tried to control his hard breathing. He was thinking bullshit! It was all his fucked up imagination! Probably had to do with the shock of dying; after all his heart had stopped beating and maybe his brain had taken damage. But the doctors had told him everything was fine with his brain and body…damn it!

Panting, his arc glowing angrily, he leaned onto a work bench and stared at sketches he'd made to improve his Iron Man suit. Maybe some work would stop him from believing the shit he'd imagined. Sighing loudly, he bent over the sketches and pondered to forget. The shrill ringing of the phone interrupted him and he gave an annoyed sigh and his face pulled into a frown. "Sir, Director Fury is on the phone", JARVIS informed him.

"JARVIS, what about not wanting to be interrupted/annoyed is so hard to understand?" Tony asked.

"The Director said it's urg-"

"Mr. Stark, we need to talk. " Nick Fury said in a commanding tone.

"You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message", Tony answered mockingly.

"This is urgent", Fury insisted.

"Then leave it urgently."

"Stark, this i-"

"No, not Stark! Stark doesn't want to be bothered and by the way, you're more or less trespassing in a communicative way and I consider this a security breach, so get the hell out of my system or I will send a virus that sends all your secrets secrets to the New York Times!" Tony threatened, seriously pissed. "Don't you think it's a bit childish...you're not in puberty anymore! You've got a duty as a Avenger and there's absolutely NO time for you to have a tantrum!" Fury shouted while Tony's fingers raced over the screens, programming a virus that would cause the S.H.I.E.L.D. servers to break down and communication would go down as well, ridding him effectively of the Director. "And go", Tony said and sent the virus off. "I guess it'll take about a minute for my present to reach you", the genius informed Fury.

"Stark, this is not the time! We have some serious shit going on! An alien-like creature has been seen by a number of people!" An image of a green-skinned creature flashed through his mind and he shuddered. Swallowing down his nervousness, Tony maintained his cool façade. "30 seconds. You probably know what kind of drugs are circulating in NY, so how high do you estimate the probability what a junkie on LSD told is true? Bye." With this the connection cracked and the cool voice of Director Fury vanished. Fury wouldn't be calling again very soon. Suddenly shacking violently, Tony gripped tightly the edge of the work bench. His mind was spinning again, doubts eating like acid through his barrier of rational thinking. What if it really wasn't a weird dream he'd had? What if the creature Fury mentioned was the same one he'd seen? What if this bullshit wasn't bullshit after all? Fuck! His doubts were getting the better of him! This had to stop. Tony bit hard on his bottom lip and tears welled up in his eyes. Damn it! He would bury himself in work and so the others would let him be as well.

Tony Stark had worked the week away, barely leaving his lab (he had a bathroom, a couch and a mini-fridge in there). The others, except Steve, had wandered off again and the alarm hadn't gone off, so it had been peaceful and silent. This morning, JARVIS informed Tony that Steve was at the door. Reluctantly, he had opened the door and asked the Cap. what the issue was. "Ermm...Tony...I wanted to apologize and I think I'm correct that I' speaking for everybody. It shouldn't have been so...awkward", Steve finally said and looked at him with big, blue puppy eyes. Tony sighed.

"Captain, it's ok to feel awkwardly over a resurrected person, but you knew over a week that I had died. Additionally, I expected the oh-so-mighty Avengers to be able to cope with a bit of supernatural and not go all awkward about it." Tony's voice was hard, but none of the normal hatred or annoyedness filled it. Running a hand through his hair, he looked directly into Steve's eyes and only saw honesty. So Tony did something very unexpected. "Steve, I want to thank you. Thank you for being at my side when I woke up. I was a bit...disarranged at this time. I probably would have panicked without a familiar face near me." Tony talked like a waterfall and watched blue eyes widen. Then he averted his eyes and pretended to study his sketches.

"That was absolutely no deal!" Steve blurted and a faint smile flittered over Tony's lips.

"Anything else Cap?" Steve pursed his lips.

"Yes, indeed." Tony's eyebrows rose and he looked at Steve. "Do you actually hate me?" Chocolate eyes widened. What the fuck was this for a question? What should he say? The billionaire decided to go for the truth, more or less. "No, I don't. It's just very hard to work with someone so devoted to obeying the rules and guidelines. It honestly pisses me off." Captain America's eyebrows shot up.

"That's all?" Tony shrugged. "That's all that annoys you about me? You actually don't hate me?" Tony nodded. Steve had to grin. "You're a curious man Tony Stark." Tony flashed a crooked smile.

"Oh thank you. That's too kind of you." His voice dripped with sarcasm. Suddenly Steve furrowed his eyebrows and seemed very concentrated. "What's wrong?" Tony asked and Steve shushed him.

"You hear this?" He whispered.

"What?" The brown haired whispered back, feeling ridiculous.

"This beeping. It's more like a countdown." Tony tried to focus and now he faintly heard the ticking.

"What the hell is this?"

"Is it one of your machines?" Tony shook his head. That's when the shit hit the fan and the bomb went off. It seemed to happen in slow motion, the big fire ball approaching them from the row of windows. Tony could only stare in astonishment and then saw Steve leaping forward. Forward between himself, Tony, and the fire ball, was willing to take the blast with his broad back. Crystal blue locked into rich brown. The blast reached Steve took him off his feet, sending him flying against Tony, protecting him with his own body- making a sacrifice for him. To Tony, who'd been hateful to this adorable, honest person. Anthony Stark regretted it all even more in these few seconds. He hit the floor and was knocked unconscious, not feeling Steve's body land on top of him.

**Flashback end**

And now he was here, leaning against his work bench, ears ringing and every breath he took had the taste of concrete to it. Even though he was confused, the mess in his mind started to clear up and he began to connect the dots; someone or something was after his life. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the outlines of a person in the smoke.

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i really hope this isn't getting too confusing, but i felt this fic needed something very supernaturalxD and every good story needs a villain and a dramatic situation... stay tuned for the next installment:)


	4. To Live is to Die

**Chapter 4: To Live is to Die**

_OMFG! i'm so terribly sorry for having abandoned this fic for such a long time even though i love it and have big plans for it. i feel like a monster...please forgive me if you can! x.x_

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Tony's breathing accelerated in panic. This couldn't be true! This was just a perverted dream! He stared at the figure emerging from the smoke; malevolent yellow eyes, greenish skin, a cruel grin on the thin lips, grey dreadlocks, a delicate black armor.

"N-n-no...! Go a-away! Th-th-this is just a b-bad dr-dream..." Tony stuttered, plain fear mirroring in his wide open eyes. The creature smiled and bared pointy teeth. It held its hand out and Tony pressed back against the work bench.

"Do not fear. I will not harm you, for you are the chosen one. You have defeated death and are worthy of the power I will grant you." The voice had something hard to it and echoed in the lab. The genius pulled his mouth into a slight frown. Understanding that Tony wouldn't answer, the alien continued speaking:

"If you are willing to become what you are destined to be, you will be able to save your dying friend with the new power." Tony's head spun around to look at Steve. The large body lay still, skin pale and slightly grey and in stark contrast to the deep red blood puddle forming around him. Blood. So much blood. Too much blood. His head spun. Steve was going to die!

His heart tightened at the thought of living without the blond soldier. He couldn't bear the thought. A world without Captain America would be a cold world and his death would be an immense loss. A resolution formed in his mind. He had to save the moronic hero. Slowly, fists clenched, he turned his head and fixated his brown eyes and the creature.

"If I decide to accept this power, will you promise me that I will be able to save Steve?" The creature nodded gracefully. "Will you promise that there is no catch to it?"

"Indeed, there is no catch to it. You will become very powerful- this is the only effect", the creature lied smoothly. Tony gulped.

"Then I want this power!" He finally said and the creature smiled.

"Then it shall be this way. Give me your hand", it ordered and Tony slowly raised his hand. In a split second, the creature was next to him and pushed an ancient dagger into Tony's hand, causing him to scream in surprise and pain.

"In the name of Salazar XI, I hereby grant the mortal Anthony Stark the Darque Power of my ancestors. May the blood pact not break and may he become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds." Tony, having fallen unconscious halfway through the speech, felt a sudden rush of a dark and ancient power through his veins. The power filled his whole body, sharpening his senses, healing his wounds and giving him new energy. He opened his eyes and they gleamed in a bright yellow. He smiled cruelly. Satisfied, the creature pulled out the dagger and the wound closed immediately, the only hint of it ever having been there was a black, twisted rune.

"How do you feel, Anthony?" Asked Salazar.

"I feel great Master. This power fills my whole being, makes me feel better than ever!" Tony answered fervently. Salazar smiled.

"These are fantastic news. Now heal your friend and then let your powers rest. You will know when to activate them again." Tony nodded obediently and turned to Steve. The big blond's breathing was shallow and he was on the edge of dying. Carefully, Tony placed a hand on the large wound on the broad chest and closed his eyes. Concentrating, he let energy flow out of his hand and into Steve, healing the deep wound. When it had closed completely, Tony took away his hand and fell onto Steve, unconscious again. Turning around, the creature turned around and flew out of the window like Superman- only meaner and not as good looking.

The door to the lab flew open and Bruce Banner, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov stumbled into the lab and over the rubble that lay spread on the floor. They looked around with wide open eyes and saw the huge hole in the wall, the smoke still hovering slightly over the ground and in the air, the concrete pieces littering the floor and then the small tangle of two bodies that were lying next to a work bench. Dum-E was standing clueless next to them, beeping and making an impression of what could be interpreted of a robot being sad.

"Oh shit!" Natasha called and ran towards the two unconscious men. She quickly knelt down and immediately felt the pulse of both Tony and Steve.

"Bruce, quickly! They're alive! They need help!" She shouted and Banner came running towards her, Clint following on his heels.

Tony woke up, his head hurting like it had been put under some great strain that neither he nor his body could comprehend. Images flooded his mind. Images of Steve lying in a puddle of blood, a power racing through him, mysterious and dark, and even though all seemed complete, Tony was sure something vitally important was missing. Tony glanced down his chest and felt relieved when the light blue glow was still there and pulsing softly. 'Then it must be something else…' the genius wondered and tried to concentrate, but a searing pain shot through his whole being. He then looked around and noticed that he wasn't in his lab anymore, but again in a sterile, white, impersonal hospital room. When the fuck had he come to stay in a hospital again? He seemed to attract things he disliked and hated. Tony sighed turned his head and saw a tall, muscular man lying in the bed next to him. Steve.

"Thank God Steve…" Tony breathed and could feel his body relax a bit. The blond's chest rose and fell with the rhythm of his steady breathing. A scene of piece, that was only destroyed by the bruises that covered the Cap's arms and face and probably his whole body as well. A wave of guilt washed over Tony. It was his fault the Cap was wounded and now lying next to him in hospital. Yes, Tony knew he was being an incredible wimp and extremely out of character, but he had changed over the time he spent together with the Avengers and especially Steve. He still was a genius, billionaire and philanthropist (although this does depend on his mood), but he wasn't a playboy anymore. Sure he still pretended to be attracted to the countless women waving their boobs and asses at him, but he didn't want to simply fuck them anymore. Well, this was probably all due to him getting old and wanting a proper relationship (hell, had he actually just thought this?!) and his old days seemed to have moved out of reach. The man next to him stirred and drew the genius' attention back to the blond. The large man groaned and then slowly opened his blue eyes. At first there was a clear look of confusion on his face and his eyes flickered around the room, brushed over furniture and then his gaze stopped on Tony. The smaller man shifted slightly uncomfortably, but managed to cock a slight crooked grin.

"Has the princess returned from the land of dreams?" Tony croaked. Steve still had a moronic look plastered on his face.

"Tony?" He finally asked.

"No, Santa Claus." The sarcastic remark made Steve grin slightly, but it was obvious that his thinking was still coated in thick mist.

"Where are we?" Steve asked.

"I guess we're at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in the hospital. But I'm not completely sure…as far as I'm concerned this is more like the nuthouse and we're stuck in a rubber cell."

"Oh come on…why are we here? What happened?" Steve inquired, life and actual intellect slowly returning, as well as the light in his eyes.

"Weelll…" Tony drew out, "We were in my lab in the Stark tower, having a nice chat about this and that and then suddenly the wall exploded and we had a fire ball and glass flying towards us. Moronic as you are, you stepped in between the explosion and shielded me with your damn body!" Tony knew he was getting seriously agitated and his voice grew louder. "The next thing I remember is you on the floor, drenched in blood. I then blacked out again", using 'fainted' would have been too embarrassing, "and the next thing I remember is waking up here. Satisfied Captain Rogers?" Tony just now realized how ridiculous the situation must have looked; a brown haired man, lying in a hospital bed was shouting at a bewildered tall, blond man lying in the bed next to him. He would have laughed, but he was dead serious now. Steve looked at the fuming man next to him, now sitting upright in the bed. The blond propped himself onto his elbows and looked directly into the dark chocolate eyes. In a stern voice he then said:

"Tony, it was my decision to save you and you and you are not to judge my decision. It is your right to be angry about it, but I will never tolerate anybody I care for being hurt. I might seem like a moron to you, and yes, I'm not as smart as you are, but as long I have the muscles to protect the people around me, I don't give a fuck about my IQ. I don't regret having saved you and I don't want you to feel guilty, which you obviously do!"

Tony could do nothing but stare wide eyed in astonishment at the young blond man. He was simply baffled and his brain was about to overload. He opened his mouth to speak, but the door opened and in barged Thor, Clint, Bruce, Natasha, Pepper, Happy and even Fury, all a look of deep concern on their faces except for the latter one.

"Oh, you have awakened again", Thor thundered and both hospitalized men fought the urge to cover their ears.

"Bloody hell, are you also able to adjust the volume of your voice to your surroundings?" Tony asked snappy, feeling a migraine approach. Thor only laughed. Next Pepper Potts came rushing to Tony's bed and hugging him tightly.

"Ouch."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Tony! Are you ok?" She asked, looking very, very concerned.

"Yes Ms. Potts, I'm perfectly fine and could you please get off me? Happy doesn't seem so happy about you throwing yourself at me." Pepper had broken up with Tony a few months ago, not being able to bear the stress anymore that came with her worrying herself to death when Tony was away being Iron Man and yet again saving the world. They had ended their relationship in friendship and Happy Hogan hadn't waited long to ask the now single Ms. Potts out for a date. A date became two and so on until they were in a solid relationship that Tony wasn't jealous of at all.

"Naw, it's fine", Happy said and smiled kindly. Pepper let go of Tony and went back next to her fiancé.

"We're going to get that asshole!" Clint shouted and received an elbow into the ribs from Natasha for not being less loud than Thor.

"Yes, several of the best S.H.I.E.L.D. agent are on it at the moment, including the rest of the Avengers", Director Fury said, serious as ever and turning his head first at Steve and then at Tony.

"Isn't it exhausting to always have to turn your head?" Tony asked cheekily and Fury only raised an eyebrow, while the others rolled their eyes.

"Keep us updated on how the investigation goes. I guess we're stuck in here for quite some time now", the Captain said and Fury nodded.

"You are expected to stay at least another week or two", Banner answered.

"Another?" Tony and Steve asked simultaneously.

"You were unconscious for over a week and the Cap was in intensive care for six days." Natasha's voice was cool as ever, but even through her façade a deep concern could be heard.

"Wow! That's long…And hey Cap, we have managed to concern all of our dear friends, I'll just count you to the friends for now Director, ok?" Tony remarked and Steve let out a low chuckle.

"This is a serious issue Stark. Two of our best men have been seriously wounded and we've got no clue about how, who and why. I might laugh after the whole mess is cleaned up and the council's off my back." Fury's voice lacked any emotion and made clear that this all was serious business. The genius kept a straight face.

After everybody had left with only the best wishes for a swift recovery, Tony and Steve were again in peace.

"Man, this really wore me out. How can a bunch of people be so exhausting?" Tony questioned and then decided that it was one of the questions on which even genius philosophers would bite out their teeth.

"Indeed… I think I'm going to get some sleep now. Goodnight Tony", Steve said softly and sunk back into his pillows, closing his eyes and soon dozing off.

"Good idea Spangles…" Tony mumbled and turned off the light after lying down. He shut off his mind even though his thoughts were racing again, like so often these days. He was about to fall to sleep, when he felt another presence deep inside his being, discomforting and evil. When Tony noticed, it was already too late and with a sharp pain his personality was locked to where the presence had been and something took over him, making his eyes glow a vicious yellow in the dark.

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sorry guys...i now i've been away for so long and this chapter is so short. but i hope that i will be able to post more frequently now, but i promise nothing, except that things will soon start to heat up in this fic;D


	5. A Plan of Action?

**Chapter 5: A Plan of Action?**

Welcome back and please do not form an angry mob with pitchforks and burning torches to punish me for not having updated for what seemed like forever. I hope this chapter will be good enough to make you forgive me…

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After he was sure that Steve was deep asleep, Tony rolled himself out of the bed. His brown hair, no without styling, hung into his yellow eyes and impatiently he brushed them out of his sight. In the bed beside him, Steve stirred restlessly in his sleep. All the exhaustion was gone and Tony's senses were sharp: he could hear the blood rushing through Steve's veins, the labored breathing seemed even louder and he could see everything in the room like it was bright daytime. Tony quickly stripped down and pulled on his dirty jeans, a "Black Sabbath" shirt and slipped into his sneakers. He quietly opened the door and without glancing back, he slipped out of the room and hurried down the dim S.H.I.E.L.D. corridors. He reached the door and somebody called:

"Hey! Who are you?"

Tony stopped and turned around, dangerously slowly. The receptionist, a guy about as tall (or small) as Tony with short blond hair and glasses was peaking over the tall reception desk. When he recognized the billionaire, his face showed surprise.

"Oh, Mr. Stark! I am very sorry! I didn't recognize you", he apologized quickly, he voice high. Tony looked at him, eyes ice cold and cruel.

"What's your name?" He inquired.

"J-justin Jones."

"Well Justin, I would like to leave." His voice was deep and raspy and definitely did not belong to Tony Stark.

"W-w-well sir, Director Fury said not to let either you or the Captain leave. I am very sorry", he said apologetically. Tony snorted and raised his right hand to about the height of Justin's throat. His palm showed towards the young man and when he slowly began to close his hand, the others eyes widened and he started to choke.

"I am so very sorry", Tony said sarcastically, "But you are in my way. And people, who are in my way, are to be punished.

Tony closed his hands further and watched with fascination how the blond's face turned red and then purple. Tony, or rather the monster he had become, thoroughly enjoyed watching the life vanish from Justin's eyes. His mouth distorted into a sick smile as the young man clawed at the invisible hand choking him. It didn't take to long for the other to close his eyes and die. Tony bit his bottom lip with his now long and sharp canines and tasted his blood. He let out a soft moan. Killing sure turned him on. He turned and looked directly at the security camera and flashed a radiant smile. Then he turned away.

Stepping out of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, a cool breeze grazed over Tony's lean body. It was cold, but he didn't shiver- his new self and body felt no cold, nor warmth. Tony looked over to the tall, illuminated tower that had a big, bright "A" decorating the top; the Avengers Tower. He smiled again. Walking a fast pace, Tony soon reached the building and entered it. He stepped into the elevator and a few seconds later stepped out into the large penthouse. It was dark and empty. The only source of light was the bright New York skyline that shone through the glass front. The others were out on a mission Tony recalled and they wouldn't come back for the next few days. He went up the stairs and along the corridor with the bedrooms, each door painted with the comic figure of the inhabiting Avenger. He stopped before the door with the golden-red Iron Man suit on it and stepped into the large room. He had no need to switch on the light and walked directly over to the door that lead to his large walk-in-wardrobe. He took a black, used leather jacket from its hanger and tossed it into the bedroom. Glancing down at his glowing chest, he ripped off his shirt. Tony glanced into the mirror: a toned and muscular chest (the workout had made a change in combination with his new body)with the softly pulsating arc in the middle, washed out jeans with gashes riding low on the hipbones and black sneakers. Not bad, not bad at all, Tony thought and walked out. He picked up his jacket and pulled it on, but left it open to reveal his bare chest. He left his room and walked into his lab and locked it.

He then sat himself in front of his workbench and started making sketches for something that seemed to originate from a sci-fi movie.

"Hmm…I wonder how big I should make it…or rather to what size can I compress it", he mused. He crumpled the paper with the sketch on it and started off again on a new one. Quickly, he had sketched a cube that had a button on one side. Next to it, he made detailed sketches of the technology inside and short notes about what materials to use. He then wrote one word in capitals directly next to the cube: "TESSERACT NEEDED". Well, exactly this was the main problem he was faced with: this idiot god Thor had taken it with him when he had come to Earth to stop Loki from destroying it. Now the blue cube was in Asgard and definitely under 24/7 security and this seriously sucked! Tony wondered if something of the Tesseract like used in the Hydra weapons could be obtained from somewhere. He pondered for hours over this problem and when the morning sun shone into the lab, he got up and left the tower, his plans bound securely around his arm with Saran Wrap.

In the meantime, Steve stirred in his hospital bed and abruptly opened his eyes as Nick Fury burst into the room.

"This is an emergency Captain! Stark left the building yesterday and killed one of our men on the way!" He shouted and Steve only stared wide-eyed back at him.

"W-what? That's impossible! Tony wouldn't do something like this!" He stammered.

"I'm thinking the same, but the security cameras have it taped and ready as evidence. I don't know what the fuck got into Stark, but he killed an innocent young man in a more than peculiar way."

Steve imagined horrific ways of killing and his eyes turned hard. He got out of bed (dressed in a white t-shirt and grey sweats) and followed Fury down the corridor, where people were hastily walking past them. On the way, Fury briefed him on what had happened last night.

"Stark left the room at 0010 and reached the main entrance and the reception at 0020. There he was stopped by Justin Williams, whom he exchanged a few words with and the choked to death. At 0025 Stark left the building and headed for the Avengers Tower."

Steve, now all professional, asked: "Has the security confirmed that Tony reached the tower?"

"We have contacted Ms. Potts immediately and she said she'd come and bring with her the videotaping of the security cameras installed in Stark Tower."

"Has he been sighted by security staff?" Steve inquired.

"No, and if he had been, I doubt this person would be here to tell us, but rather dead", Fury added in a cold voice.

"Director Fury!" A women's voice called. Both men turned around and saw Virginia Potts rushing towards them in grey woman's suit, her ginger hair bound together in a ponytail. They stopped and waited for the CEO of Stark Industries to catch up.

"Good morning Captain, Director Fury", she greeted them, "Are you serious with what you told me about Tony?"

"I'm afraid so", he answered, "Thank you for coming so quickly. I absolutely can't understand why he would do something like this."

"Me neither, he was completely exhausted last night and I guessed the incident had taken an even greater toll on him than on me", Steve said.

"Well, Tony will have to explain himself when we find him- and believe me when I say that he'll be off well if I only kick his ass!" Pepper exclaimed.

"If you would follow me to the conference room. Everything is set up and ready for us to watch the videotaping from last night", Fury said and walked on. They headed down the long corridors and then Fury briskly opened a large door that lead to a very large room with a massive mahogany table with chairs around it. The light from the window front was enough to light the whole room, but Fury let down the blinds and switched on the lights. The three of them took a seat and Fury switched on the Stark Industries flat screen computer. Pepper herself got out a tablet and with a swiping gesture 'threw' over the videotaping of Stark Tower onto the S.H.I.E.L.D. computer.

"I think it'll be best to start with the S.H.I.E.L.D. taping and then watch the taping Ms. Potts brought in. This way we'll have the events in chronological order", the Captain suggested and Fury and Pepper nodded.

Sitting together in a room staring at a large screen and watching a video had the flair of a nice evening with friends watching a nice film. But this wasn't in the least bit like it. Not only was the popcorn missing, Steve more or less disliked both the people he was sitting with, about to watch a friend of his commit a murder. The blond distrusted Fury, because as Tony had said, even his secrets had secrets, and not even Fury refusing to give his consent to launch a nuclear missile onto New York had made it much better- he hadn't fully made up for the Hydra weapons affair. And Pepper was okay, but to be brutally honest, he was jealous of her good relationship with the eccentric man in the iron suit-but overall she was kind of nice. The video was approaching 0010 and Steve was beginning to get excited. At exactly 0010, the door from the room he had slept in with Tony opened and the brown haired man stepped out. He closed the door and quickly walked down the corridor. The video switched from camera to camera and when the reception area came into view, Steve subconsciously held his breath. Silently they watched Tony being halted by the young man and Steve shivered when he heard Tony's ice cold, foreign voice. His eyes widened in horror as the life was pressed out of the young and innocent body. Then Tony turned around and looked at them directly, or rather at the camera, his eyes bright yellow and the sharp teethed, bright smile made the three gasp in surprise.

"Holy shit!" Steve exclaimed (being around Tony a lot, he had caught up on the bad habit of swearing colorfully), "Were his eyes actually _yellow_ and his teeth _vampire teeth_?"

"I-i-it appeared to be so", Pepper stammered. "Are you sure the camera color settings are correct?" Fury looked at her and then back at the paused video. Stark's eyes **were **evidently yellow and his canines were overly long. In disbelief, he quickly checked the camera settings; everything was okay and the way it should be. No funny colors. No mistakes. No doubt- Tony Stark **had **yellow eyes and vampire teeth. Fuck!

"Well…" Fury was at lack for words, "It seems like we have something supernatural going on. Nothing new, but the thing Loki did to Agent Barton and the others didn't turn them into monsters- literally."

"It seems like we need the Doctor", Steve burst out and then looked embarrassed. Pepper gave him a look full of pity.

"He suggested you watch it, didn't he?" She asked and Steve nodded. "It's like cancer-once you've got it, you rarely get rid of it. Your favorite?"

"I don't know…the 10th I guess", Steve muttered and Fury looked at them, confused and angry.

"What the hell are you talking about? If this is some stupid reference to any sci-fi series, I'll get really angry. This is a case of emergency! One of the Avengers has been infected/possessed by some alien power and we NEED to find a solution before this maniac kills any other people!" Fury shouted and Pepper and Steve managed to look ashamed.

"Well, back to business. Tony, or whoever he is now, killed this man-"

"His name is Justin Jones", Fury interrupted.

"-Killed Mr. Jones by something that seemed like voodoo or…" the tall man didn't know how to describe it, so he stopped talking about it and started to outline a possible plan of action, which included watching the other videos and then sending a message to Asgard and therefore Thor to make some research- maybe even Loki could be useful. They would then proceed to find Stark by using a technology that monitored alien appearances- which included that they hoped Tony's body would be inhuman enough. They then would go catch him, and they would fight if necessary (which seemed very likely), and then they would get that motherfucking, shitty creature/substance/soul whatever it might be out of him- exactly the words the Captain used. It all seemed so simple and easy in theory, but they never imagined that it would be this incredibly hard as it turned out to be.

* * *

So, this chapter done^^ I hope it wasn't too disappointing after the long wait. This reference about the Doctor was from "Doctor Who". If you don't know it, watch it! It's FANTASTIC, but beware…it's like cancer (sry for joking bout this, I know it's serious business). So see ya soon;)


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